Application Information

Dear Potential Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in our Ph.D. program in Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology. Our program is rigorous and designed to provide students with the skills they will need to become research scientists capable of pursuing knowledge of mental and social processes and brain functioning. Students may earn degrees with a focus in cognitive science, behavioral neuroscience, or social psychology, or they may take advantage of our unique interdisciplinary Ph.D. program focusing on language, speech, and hearing sciences.

For many years we have talked with students thinking about graduate education. We know how difficult it is to obtain the information you need about graduate programs. We believe that this letter, along with other departmental materials, will answer many of your questions.

If you have general questions about the application process, consider reading some of the resources listed at the bottom of this letter. You should also consult advisors or career counselors at your college or university. In addition, pay particular attention to our faculty members’ web sites. If you have further questions about our Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology program after reading this letter and the web site information, feel free to contact me by email (jbryant@shell.cas.usf.edu), postal mail (Department of Psychology, PCD 4118G, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-7200), or phone (813-974-0475).

• Like most doctoral programs, we admit new applicants only once a year. Applications are due January 15 (January 2 for international applicants) for admission the following fall. Students are admitted only for full-time study. Acceptance into the program is based on GRE scores (not including the GRE psychology subject test), GPA, letters of recommendation, research experience, and the match between the applicant’s interests and the interests of our core faculty who are admitting students in a given year.

Although we have no formal cutoffs for GRE scores or GPA, we are most likely to consider applicants with Verbal and Quantitative GRE scores well over the 50th percentile and an undergraduate GPA above 3.75. The mean GRE score for our recent entering classes is above 1350, with a mean Verbal GRE score above 610 and a mean Quantitative GRE score above 740. The mean GPA for the last two years of undergraduate school is 3.8 for these entering students. In addition, all entering students have worked as research assistants collecting empirical data in a laboratory or field setting.

Three recommendation letters are required. All three should be from faculty members or doctoral-level researchers. The ideal choice is someone with whom you have worked closely, especially if you have taken a small challenging class or conducted research with that person.

• To be accepted into our program, students should have extensive research experience and a strong background in psychological research methods or other scientific methodologies, such as biology, neuroscience, computer science, or language science. The area of the undergraduate degree need only be loosely related to psychology, provided the applicant’s interests are similar to those of our core faculty.
• Approximately 5 students are admitted each year. Some academically qualified students are not admitted because their research interests differ sharply from the interests of our core faculty members who are admitting students that year. Therefore, you should review their interests before applying to our program. You can find summaries of faculty members’ work on our website and also learn who is planning to admit students. If you want to learn even more about particular faculty members, you may email them at the address listed on their web pages. For an updated list of faculty currently recruiting new graduate students.
• Our program requires a full time commitment.
• The Ph.D. program can be completed in four years of full time academic work, although most of our students require at least six years. All students are involved in conducting research projects under the supervision of faculty members throughout this period. These projects include two independent research projects: a master’s thesis and a doctoral dissertation.
• Some applicants already have a master’s degree and, understandably, would like to obtain full credit for their degree. It is sometimes possible to transfer credit for courses that are virtually identical to those offered by our department. However, no final decision about such courses can be made prior to your acceptance into the program. Each individual case must be evaluated after admission. Likewise, it is sometimes possible to obtain credit for a previously completed master’s thesis in psychology if it is judged equivalent in quality to those conducted by students in our program. After acceptance into the program, a faculty committee will review your thesis to determine whether it can be transferred.

We welcome your interest in our Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology program and hope that this letter, along with other departmental information, will help you make an informed decision about applying. If you have additional questions after reading these materials, we will gladly answer them. In the meantime, good luck in your pursuit of graduate education!

Sincerely,

Judith Becker Bryant, Ph.D.
Professor
Area Director, Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology program
813-974-0475
jbryant@shell.cas.usf.edu

P.S. There are a number of excellent books that can help with the application process. Two books that our students have recommended are: Getting in: A step-by-step plan for gaining admission to graduate school in psychology and Graduate study in psychology. Both of these books can be ordered from the American Psychological Association: 1-800-374-2721.